Rolling mills roll change



N 1965 w. G. WILSON ETAL 3,217,526

ROLLING MILLS ROLL CHANGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 15, 1963 N t' INVENTORS WILLIAM G. WILSON], FREDERl K 6. ALLISON *r BY Ema. CARROLL Tnsm ATTORNEY Nov. 16, 1965 w. G. WILSON ET AL 3,217,526

ROLLING MILLS ROLL CHANGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15, 1963 E N 5N0 E SM osuo TLLR N Am mc m M m mmE K Mm Y B 4 c1 7A1; H ATTORNEY Nov. 16, 1965 w. G. WILSON ET AL 3,217,526

ROLLING MILLS ROLL CHANGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 15, 1963 Emc CARROLL 74 Q flux; TREIR ATTORNEY mvsm'roks WILLIAM Gwmsow FREDERICK GALLISON F Nov. 16, 1965 w, w soN ET AL 3,217,526

ROLLING MILLS ROLL CHANGE Filed Jan. 15, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 lNVENTOE 5 WILLIAM G Wwso FREDERICK G.A| usoN Y Ema CARROLL THEIR ATTORNEY 1965 w. G. WILSON ET AL 3,

ROLLING MILLS ROLL CHANGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 15, 1963 INVENTORS M 6. WILSON,

WDLLIA ME m Q m m 0.2 oQ A ow P, .5 r m MW m m 43 WQ E GALLnsozw FREDERICK .N E m L T my :5 C T m United States Patent This invention relates to rolling mills of the type provided with at least one pair of horizontal rolls, and at least one pair of vertical rolls, the rolling mill being provided with guide means arranged to support the rolls as they are extracted from the rolling mill; a rolling mill of this type will be referred to hereinafter as a rolling mill of the type specified.

An example of a rolling mill of the type specified is a beam mill of the universal type having a pair of hori zontal rolls and a pair of vertical rolls, the horizontal rolls being respectively maintained in position Within the rolling mill by two so-called spreader beams which extend parallel to the horizontal rolls, respectively above and below the upper and the lower horizontal rolls. Because of the presence of the vertical rolls at opposite ends of the horizontal-roll assembly, the upper horizontal roll must be lifted, and the lower horizontal roll must be lowered, before the horizontal rolls can be extracted separately from the rolling mill, through a window of the rollingmill housing. The horizontal rolls are respectively raised and lowered by respectively raising and lowering the spreader beams, the spreader beams being provided with slideways or the like, constituting the guide means referred to above. One reason for the provision of spreader beams in such a beam mill, is to permit the pair of horizontal rolls to be easily exchanged for another pair of horizontal rolls of different barrel length, as is required for rolling a beam of a different width; such an operation is often required to be carried out quickly.

With known rolling mills of the type specified, and in particular with known beam mills of the universal type, the horizontal rolls are extracted from the rolling mill on to a roll-change assembly located immediately adjacent to the rolling mill. The presence of this roll-change assembly prevents easy access to the rolling mill, and the assembly occupies valuable space adjacent to the rolling mill. Furthermore, with known arrangements each of the horizontal rolls and each of the vertical rolls must be extracted and exchanged separately, by means of the roll-change assembly.

This invention provides a method of, and apparatus for, changing together both a pair of horizontal rolls and a pair of vertical rolls, of a rolling mill of the type specified. An object of the invention is to enable the roll change to be carried out quickly.

According to the invention, a method of changing together both a pair of horizontal rolls, and a pair of vertical rolls, of a rolling mill of the type specified, includes the steps of extracting the horizontal rolls from the rolling mill respectively on to upper and lower decks of a first mobile roll-change unit while the unit is located adjacent to the rolling mill, extracting the vertical rolls from the rolling mill on to the first mobile roll-change unit, removing the unit from the vicinity of the rolling mill, moving to a position adjacent to the rolling mill a second mobile roll-change unit carrying a second pair of vertical rolls and carrying respectively upon its upper and lower decks a second pair of horizontal rolls, and inserting the second pair of vertical roll-s and the second pair of horizontal rolls into the rolling mill.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided for a rolling mill of the type specified, a mobile roll-change unit having upper and lower decks respectively arranged to receive the upper and the lower rolls of a pair of horizontal rolls of the rolling mill, the unit being also arranged to receive a pair of vertical rolls of the rolling mill.

The invention may be carried into practice in a number of ways, but three specific embodiment-s will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 are similar part-sectional side elevations of a universal beam mill, provided with carriages for changing a pair of horizontal, and a pair of vertical, rolls, and showing in successive stages the transfer of the rolls from the mill to the carriages;

FIGURE 4 is similar to FIGURE 1, but illustrates a modification;

FIGURE 5 is an enlargement of a part of FIGURE 4, the apparatus being viewed in the opposite direction to that in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view, taken along the line VIVI of FIGURE 5; and

FIGURE 7 is a section view of a modified form of roll change carriage.

The beam mill indicated generally at 10 in the accompanying drawings, and the roll change carriages, in so far as the mounting of the horizontal rolls are concerned, are similar to those described in application No. 255,423 filed January 8, 1963. Accordingly, corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and are described briefly herein simply to enable their operation to be understood.

The beam mill 10 has two side housings '11 and 12, the housing posts of which are indicated at 13 and 14, and has a pair of horizontal rolls 15 and 16, and a pair of vertical rolls and 116. The upper horizontal roll 15 is provided with a pair of chocks 17 and '18 by means of which the roll 15 can be slidably suspended from an upper spreader beam 19 of the mill 10; as described in the abovementioned application, the spreader beam 19 can be raised to permit the upper horizontal roll 15 to be extracted from the rolling mill by sliding the chocks 17 and 18 along the spreader beam 19. The lower horizontal roll 16 is similarly supported upon a lower spreader beam (not shown).

At each of its opposite sides, the mill 10 is provided with a U-shaped yoke which extends horizontally outwards between corresponding housing posts, 13 or 14, the base of the yoke being indicated at 27. Each such yoke is designed to hold in position one of the chocks 117, 118 of the vertical rolls 115 and 116. Upon the base 27 of each yoke is mounted a pair of screws (not shown) and a Withdrawal cylinder (not shown) which are used to adjust the position, in the horizontal direction and parallel to the lengths of the horizontal rolls, of the adjacent one of the vertical rolls 115 and 116. When so adjusted, the vertical rolls 115 and 116 slide along slideways (not shown) which extend from side to side of the mill 10, in the manner described in application No. 250,123 filed January 8, 1963. The chock 117 with its vertical roll 115 is withdrawable, within its yoke, to a position further from the centre of the mill 10 than its normal range of operating positions, as shown in FIG- URE 1. When the roll 115 lies at this extreme position, latches (not shown), as described in application No. 250,123, may be released, to permit the chock 117 and vertical roll 115 to be lowered downwards, out of its surrounding yoke. After the roll 115 has been removed, the chock 118 with its roll 116 may be similarly removed, being first moved from one side of the mill 10 to the other, by means of an auxiliary cylinder 112 (FIGURE 3 2) which extends through the base of that yoke which surrounds the roll 116 in its operating position.

A track comprising a pair of rails 36 extends from the roll-change side 38 of the mill 10 to a roll-storage area indicated generally at 39. A locomotive unit 40 having wheels 41 and 42 can be driven along the rails 36, and can transport between the mill 10 and the roll-storage area 39, roll-carriages to be described below in greater detail.

The arrangements so far described are common to all of FIGURES 1 to 6. Referring now to the arrangement of FIGURES 1 t 3, the locomotive unit 40 is similar to that described in application No. 255,423. It is arranged to transport main roll carriages 43 which are substantially of the form 'described in application No. 255,423 and has an upper deck 95 and a lower deck 96 at the heights of the upper and lower horizontal roll assemblies during transfer between the mill and the carriage, and designed respectively to receive the roll 15 and its chocks and the roll 16 and its chocks. To effect this transfer there are carried on the locomotive 40 upper and lower piston-and-cylinder arrangements 55, 56, the pistons having hooks at their forward ends to latch on to the horizontal roll assemblies.

In addition, the roll carriage 43 carries at the forward end nearer the mill a platform 30 the upper surface 31 of which is arranged to be capable of carrying, one above the other, the vertical rolls 115 and 116 when withdrawn from the mill 10, together with their chocks 117 and 118.

At the rear of each platform 30, a bridging member 32 is pivoted about a horizontal axis 33, so that the member 32 may be alternatively positioned in the horizontal and vertical positions, as shown in FIGURE 1, and in FIGURES 2 and 3, respectively.

A support member 34 is mounted upon a projecting portion 35 of the upper part of the rolling-mill, to slide in the direction in which the horizontal rolls extend, under the action of a piston-and-cylinder arrangement indicated at 101. The support member 34 carries a vertically arranged piston-and-cylinder arrangement indicated at 102 and having a piston rod which terminates in an eye 103 by means of which the piston rod, as indicated in FIGURE 2, can be connected to the chock of either of the vertical rolls 115 and 116, when these rolls are in a position below the piston-and-cylinder arrangement 102.

The operation of the arrangement is generally similar to that of the arrangement described in application No. 255,423 and will therefore not be described in complete detail. Briefly, when it is required to change the horizontal and the vertical rolls of the beam mill, the locomotive unit 40 is employed to drive the roll-carriage 43, the carriage 43 being empty of rolls, up to the roll-change side 38 of the mill 10, to the position shown in FIGURE 1. The roll carriage 43 is then coupled to the housing of the mill 10, as described in our specification just referred to, the locomotive unit 40 being already securedto the carriage 43 as also described in that specification. The bridging member 32 is then lowered about the pivot 33, for example by means of chains (not shown) in the manner of a drawbridge, so that the bridging member takes up its horizontal position in which it bridges the gap between the lower deck of the roll carriage 43 and that surface of the lower spreaderbeam upon which the lower horizontal roll 16 is supported within the mill 10. The horizontal rolls and 16 can then be transferred to the roll carriage 43 by means of the piston and cylinders 55, 56 as described in application No. 255,423. Thereafter, the bridging member 32 is raised to its vertical position, as indicated in FIGURE 2 and, by suitable adjustment of the screws and withdrawal cylinder mounted upon the base 27 of the right-hand yoke (as seen in FIGURES 1 t0 3) of the mill 1 t Vertic roll 115 is withdrawn to its extreme position described above.

The piston-and-cylinder arrangement 102 is operated to lower the eye 103, which is then engaged with the chock 117 of the roll 115. The weight of the roll 115 and chock 117 having been taken up by the piston-andcylinder arrangement 102, and the latches below the right-hand yoke 27 having been released, the arrangement 102 is operated to lower the vertical roll 115 until the roll 115 and its chock 117 are clear of the yoke 27. The piston-and-cylinder arrangement 101 is then operated to move the support member 34 to the right (as seen in FIGURE 2), whereafter the arrangement 102 is again operated to lower the roll 115 to the position 115 (FIG- URE 2) where the roll 115 is seated upon the upper surface 31 of the platform 30.

The eye 103 is then disconnected and returned to its original position, and the latches below the right-hand yoke 27 are closed. Next, the left-hand vertical roll 116 together with its chock 118 is moved from left to right across the mill housing, by means of the auxiliary cylinder 112. The roll 116 is then withdrawn from the mill 10 similarly to the way in which the roll 115 was previously removed, the roll 116 being placed upon the roll 115. The locomotive unit 40 is then operated, as described in the application just referred to, to withdraw the roll carriage 43 to the roll storage area 39. In this area, the sliding table 89 described in the application just referred to, is operated, to substitute for the roll carriage 43 which has just been removed from the mill 10, a second roll carriage carrying a further pair of horizontal rolls and a further pair of vertical rolls.

By means of the locomotive unit 40, the second carriage 43 is moved up to the mill 10, to the position shown in FIGURE 1; at this position, the vertical rolls with their chocks are first inserted into the mill 10 in reverse manner to that in which they were extracted, whereafter the bridging member 32 is lowered and the horizontal rolls and chocks are inserted into the mill.

The arrangement of FIGURES 4 to 6 is generally similar to that of FIGURES 1 to 3, but differs in that the vertical rolls are not transported upon the main roll carriage 43, but are transported upon an auxiliary roll carriage in the form of a bogie 104 having four wheels 105 which are arranged to run upon tracks 106 which extend parallel with, but which lie Within, the tracks 36 upon which the main roll carriage 43 and the locomotive unit 40 run. The bogie 104 has a platform 107 upon which the vertical rolls 115 and 116, within their chocks 117 and 118, are received as described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 3.

As may be seen by comparing the right-hand side of FIGURE 4 with the left-hand side of FIGURE 4, the tracks 106 are arranged, adjacent to the mill 10, to descend to a relatively lower level, as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6. In this way, sufficient clearance is provided beneath the protruding yoke 27 of the mill, to permit the vertical rolls 115 and 116 to be approached closely to the mill 10; furthermore, as to be described below, the main roll carriage 43 can over-run the bogie 104.

The coupling between the main roll carriage 43 and the auxiliary roll carriage 104 may include a latch 108 (FIGURE 5) arranged to engage a grooved portion 109 of a member secured to the bogie 104. To allow for the relative vertical movement of the carriage 43 and the bogie 104, the latch 108 is carried by a parallel-linkagetype mechanism 110 pivoted to the carriage 43. A manually operable lever 111 is provided, to release the coupling between the carriage 43 and the bogie 104.

Finally, it may be seen from FIGURE 6 and from the left-hand side of FIGURE 4, that if the carriage 43 is uncoupled from the bogie 104, then, if the bogie 104 is not carrying vertical rolls, the carriage 43 can overrun the bogie 104 to closely approach the mill 10 to which azimaej the carriage 43 can be coupled as described in the British specification last referred to above.

The operation of the arrangement is generally similar to that of FIGURES 1 to 3, and will therefore be described only briefly. In order to change the four rolls of the mill 10, the locomotive unit 40, coupled to the carriage 43 which is in turn coupled to the bogie 104, is employed to move the carriage 43 and the bogie 104 up to the mill 10. Neither the carriage 43 nor the bogie 104 carry rolls. The coupling between the carriage 43 and the bogie 104 is then released, by means of the lever 111; the locomotive unit 40 is then operated to cause the carriage 43 to over-run the bogie 104, to the position shown at the left hand side of FIGURE 4. The carriage 43 is then coupled to the mill as described in our application last referred to, whereafter the horizontal rolls and 16 are extracted from the mill 10 as described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 3, using the cylinders 55, 56 carried on the unit 40. Thereafter, the locomotive unit 40 is operated to move the carriage 43 to the position of FIGURE 5, where the lever 111 is moved to re-couple the carriage 43 and the bogie 104.

The vertical rolls 115 and 116 are extracted from the mill 10, as described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 3. The locomotive unit 40 is then operated to remove the carriage 43 and the bogie 104 to the position shown at the right-hand side of FIGURE 4; here, the sliding table 89 is operated to replace the carriage 43 and the bogie 104 by a similarly-coupled second carriage 43 carrying another pair of horizontal rolls and a second bogie 104 carrying another pair of vertical rolls. By means of the locomotive unit 40, these units are moved towards the mill 10, to the position shown in FIGURE 5. The vertical rolls 115 and 116 are inserted into the mill 10 as described with reference to FIGURES 1 to 3. Thereafter, the coupling between the carriage 43 and the bogie 104 is disconnected by means of the lever 111 and, by means of the locomotive unit 40, the new carriage 43 is made to over-run the new bogie 104. The carriage 43 having been first secured to the mill 10 as described in the application last referred to, the horizontal rolls 15 and 16 are then inserted into the mill 10 as described in that application.

The roll carriage of FIGURE 7 is generally similar to the carriage 43 of FIGURES 1 to 3 but is self-propelled, thereby dispensing with the locomotive unit 40. The carriage has wheels 120 running on tracks 36, as before and is built up from plate to have two decks 95, 96 to receive the two horizontal rolls and chocks of the mill. At the end of the carriage nearer the mill the carriage has a platform 30 for the vertical rolls and chocks, again as in FIGURES 1 to 3. The bridging member 32 overlies the platform 31, being mounted on the shaft 121 secured in the framework of the carriage.

The carriage is driven by a motor 122 supported on the carriage framework and driving a worm 123 through a gear box 124 and couplings 125. The worm 123 engages with a worm wheel driving the rear wheels 120.

The bridging member 32 is also power actuated. A motor 126 moves inwardly or outwardly a shaft 127 through a rack and pinion arrangement 128. The shaft 127 is pivoted to an arm 130 secured on a sleeve 131, to which the member 32 is welded and which turns on the shaft 127. Operation of the motor 126 moves the bridging member from the horizontal operative position shown to the vertical inoperative position, and vice versa.

The roll carriage of FIGURE 7 further differs from the carriage 43 of FIGURES 1 to 3 in that it carries the mechanisms for drawing the horizontal roll assemblies and in that each of these mechanisms takes the form of a screw and nut instead of the piston and cylinder arrangements of FIGURES 1 to 3. In the case of the upper deck 95, a motor 132 drives a pair of screws, one of which is shown at 133. These screws extend along the length of the deck 95 and are located on opposite sides 6 of the path of travel, of the upper horizontal roll assembly along the deck. The screws mesh with a crosshead 134 carrying a latch 135 designed to hook on to the roll assembly, so that, on rotation of the shafts 133 by the motor 132, the crosshead 134 moves along the deck 95 to draw the roll assembly on to the carriage; the crosshead in its most retracted position is shown in chain line at 136. A similar motor 137, shafts 138 and crosshead 140 are provided for the lower deck 96, there being an operating lever 141 for the latch 142 of crosshead 140.

FIGURE 7 further shows one of the latches 143 for securing the roll carriage to the mill during transfer of the rolls between the mill and the carriage. The latches are in this instance hinged to the structure of platform 30.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, we have explained the principle and operation of our invention and have illustrated and described what we consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, However, we desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

We claim:

1. A mobile roll-change unit for a universal beam mill having an upper deck, and a lower deck arranged to receive the upper and the lower rolls respectively of a pair of horizontal rolls of the mill, and a separate platform adapted to receive a pair of vertical rolls of the mill, and to transport them between the mill and a roll shop.

2. A mobile roll-change unit for a universal beam mill, having an upper deck for the reception of the upper roll of a pair of horizontal rolls of the mill, a lower deck for the reception of a lower roll of the pair of horizontal rolls, and a platform for the reception of a pair of vertical rolls for the mill, which platform, at least during transfer of rolls between the unit and the mill is located below the surface of the lower deck.

3. The combination according to claim 9, comprising a single roll carriage having the platform secured in front of the decks and having a hinged bridging member, movable between an operative position, aligned with the lower deck and located over the platform, and an inoperative position giving access to the platform, the bridging member assisting transfer of the lower horizontal roll between the lower deck and the mill.

4. The combination according to claim 3 in which there are power means on the carriage for moving the bridging member between the operative and inoperative positions.

5. The combination according to claim 9, comprising a main roll carriage having the upper and lower decks for the reception of the horizontal rolls and an auxiliary roll carriage coupled to the main roll carriage and having the platform to receive the vertical rolls.

6. The combination according to claim 5 in which the main roll carriage and the auxiliary roll carriage run on separate tracks, those for the auxiliary roll carriage being located within those for the main carriage, and, adjacent the mill, the tracks for the auxiliary carriage are below the level of the tracks for the main carriage, so that the main carriage can pass over the auxiliary carriage for transfer of the horizontal rolls.

7. The combination according to claim 6 in which the carriages are connected by a detachable coupling permitting lowering of the auxiliary carriage relative to the main carriage.

8. A method of changing together both a pair of horizontal roll assemblies and a pair of vertical roll assemblies of a universal beam mill stand which method comprises positioning an unloaded mobile roll-change unit at one side of the stand, raising the upper horizontal roll assembly from its working position to a position in which it is above the vertical roll assembly at said one side of the mill, lowering the lower horizontal roll assembly from its working position to a position in which it is below said vertical roll assembly, sliding the upper and lower horizontal roll assemblies to said one side of the stand onto respective spaced aligned decks on the mobile roll change unit, withdrawing said vertical roll assembly from its working position towards the mobile unit, lowering said vertical roll assembly from the mill stand onto a platform of the mobile unit, sliding the other of the vertical roll assembles horizontally to a position above the said vertical roll assembly, lowering said other vertical roll assembly onto the assembly supported on the platform, removing the mobile unit from its position adjacent said one side of the stand, positioning a mobile unit carrying new pairs of horizontal and vertical roll assemblies at said one side of the stand and moving the rolls into the stand in the reverse manner.

9. In combination a universal beam mill stand and a mobile roll change unit for transporting the horizontal and vertical roll assemblies together between the mill and a roll storage area, the mill stand having means for lowering the lower horizontal roll to a roll-changing position in which it is below a first of the vertical roll assemblies, means for raising the upper horizontal roll assembly to a roll-changing position in which it is above said first roll assemblies and guide means for supporting the horizontal roll assemblies as they are moved between the stand and the mobile unit; the mobile unit including a carriage positionable at said one stand side adjacent the first vertical roll assembly supporting means and having upper and lower spaced decks respectively positioned substantially at the heights of the upper and lower horizontal roll assemblies in their roll withdrawal position, and having a platform arranged at the end of the unit nearer the stand for reception of the vertical roll assemblies of the stand, which platform is located below the surface of the lower deck so as not to impede the transfer of the lower horizontal roll; and transfer means for moving the roll assemblies between the stand and the unit.

10. The combination according to claim 9 in which the vertical roll assembly supporting means comprises a yoke bridging the housing at said one side of the mill and the unit has a cut away portion shaped to prevent the unit fouling the yoke when the unit is positioned at said one side of the stand.

11. The combination according to claim 9 in which the unit i mounted on wheels for movement along a track, the track running between the mill stand and a roll storage area in a direction normal to the pass line of the mill, and including means at said roll storage area for moving the unit in a direction normal to said track.

12. The combination according to claim 9 including drive means mounted on the carriage for driving the carriage between the stand and a roll storage area.

13. The combination according to claim 9 in which the transfer means for moving the horizontal roll assemblies between the stand and the unit comprise nut and screw assemblies mounted on the side of the unit remote from the mill movable over the decks of the unit and having means for coupling to the horizontal roll assemblies.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1900 Fawell et al 801.3 6/1964 Wegmann et al. 801

FOREIGN PATENTS Travellift Brochure (Travellift and Engineering, Inc., Sturgeon Bay, Wis.) received September 23, 1959.

35 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

MICHAEL V. BRINDISI, Examiner. 

1. A MOBILE ROLL-CHANGE UNIT FOR A UNIVERSAL BEAM MILL HAVING AN UPPER DECK, AND A LOWER DECK ARRANGED TO RECEIVED THE UPPER AND THE LOWER ROLLS RESPECTIVELY OF A PAIR OF HORIZONTAL ROLLS OF THE MILL, AND SEPARATE PLATFORM ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A PAIR OF VERTICAL ROLLS OF THE MILL, AND TO TRANSPORT THEM BETWEEN THE MILL AND A ROLL SHOP. 